Final answer:
George Frideric Handel was notably paid by noblemen to create music for special occasions, contributing to the Baroque era before the shifts in music patronage during the Classical and Romantic periods. The correct option is d.
Step-by-step explanation:
The composer who was often paid by various noblemen to create music for special occasions was George Frideric Handel. Handel was well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, and concertos, and he frequently received commissions from nobility and royalty.
His works were a significant part of the Baroque era, which preceded the Classical period. Noblemen and other patrons were key sources of financial support for composers at the time, a practice which was common before the rise of the middle class and the transformation of music patronage during the Classical and Romantic eras.
Other composers from the Romantic era, such as Berlioz, Strauss, and Wagner, pushed the boundaries of traditional music and challenged audiences with their progressive works. The Romantic era was marked by many renowned composers including Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Schubert, Chopin, and Wagner.
However, romantic composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven did not completely reject Classical music; they emulated the great classicists Haydn, Mozart, and particularly Beethoven, maintaining the basic rules of symphonies, concertos, sonatas, and operas. The correct option is d.